How many is too many??

[Novel_Weims]

Question for you all...

I have 6 dogs. 3 are intact, 3 are spayed. Before we got into competition we had three dogs. Two were only pet quality, and the third is the one that got me infected with the bug. (You know, that one where you spend every weekend traveling the country with your dog, paying money to earn ribbons and titles!)

Since then, we have decided that this is what we want to do with all of our free time. Dogs! So we have added three more dogs to our family. All are of exceptional quality. One did not work out, and we had her spayed. So we now have three pets. I am not adverse to competing with them... but, admittedly, they are lower down on my priority list to title.

Of our intact dogs we have 1 dog and 2 bitches. I would like to add a third bitch of breeding/competitive quality, from either another breeder or from one of my own breedings (about 18 months down the road). All of our dogs live inside with us. They are not a breed that can be kept outside, in any climate, and they are not a breed that can go without hourly human companionship.

We had discussed at one point placing some of our pets. I refuse to place my two pets, and my husband refuses to place his. So we're at a standstill there.

Can a person effectively care for, train and compete with 7 dogs in the household?? How about 8? 9? I know to a certain extent it is a personal decision, but, I'd like to hear what others have to say also.

Oh, average lifespan on Weims is 10-14. Mine are all fed raw, so I would extend that about two years, so I expect these dogs to be around for at least another ten years, if not longer. Boxers do not live anywhere as long, and she is poorly bred. We've already removed one MCT at 18 months (albeit benign). She is also fed raw, but ten years would be a ripe old age for her I believe. So, I don't predict losing any of our dogs from old age for at least another 7 years...

Thoughts....

 

[wehkah]

If you have the room and you have the time.... go for it! It's all personal preference I guess. My mother in law has like 10-12 show collies (lost count) 2 shelties (altered), plus the 2 cats and the birds... However she doesn't keep all the dogs inside though. She has outdoor kennel runs and a kennel building. Some of the dogs are inside dogs but not the whole bunch. At any given moment, for dogs, I think she has 2 collies and the 2 shelties in the house plus the other animals.

What does the DH think??

 

[Zoom]

If you have the time and energy to devote to their well-being and the money to feed them...I think it's all a matter of how much hair you can put up with in your morning coffee.

If you think that some of your dogs are getting the shorter end of the attention stick, then that's up to you. I'm going to draw my line at having 5 dogs at once and with the breeds I want, that might be stretching it.

 

[Novel_Weims]

wehkah you are not helping.. plus you know more of the background to the story and are biased! Darn ya!

DH barely mumbled when I told him about what I told you, he's so smart, he knows I'll do what I want. LOL!



Zoom... I have the facilities, our house is devoted to the dogs. We have barely noticed going from 4 dogs to 6 dogs. We have the money. It seems to come down to time. I devote almost every waking moment to the dogs except when I work. My DH and I work opposing shift 75% of the time, and we have an available live in dog sitter for those times when we are both gone (a wonderful cousin that I can't be more thankful for. I hire her as I would a babysitter and she has simplified our life of late.) My DH and I have no children of our own and we're still relatively young, being in our 20's.

I feel that all of our dogs get equal quality time with us, but some are asked to spend more time in training, and I am on the road with one or another often. We've made plans to purchase a small B class RV this spring, so that we can all travel together again. I can fit 3, 4 is a tight fit, into my current van, so at this point we never all travel together....

Thank you for your honest reply.

 

[Red_ACD_for_me]

*Quote, Novel*wehkah you are not helping.. plus you know more of the background to the story and are biased! Darn ya!

I guess my opinion is null and void then to Julie :lol-sign: Alls I do have to add is that I only have one dog and all my free time is devoted to him and my 5 yr.old daughter of course I wake up early for Caiza to get him out feed him and get him out again for poop patrol before I go to work When I come home at lunch for an hour I take him for a walk and throw him the ball and then when I come home at night he gets and hour walk (4 miles). My dog is a big priority to me and I give you credit Julie, I don't know how you do it with all those dogs!!

 

[Novel_Weims]

*Quote, Novel*wehkah you are not helping.. plus you know more of the background to the story and are biased! Darn ya!

I guess my opinion is null and void then to Julie :lol-sign: Alls I do have to add is that I only have one dog and all my free time is devoted to him and my 5 yr.old daughter of course I wake up early for Caiza to get him out feed him and get him out again for poop patrol before I go to work When I come home at lunch for an hour I take him for a walk and throw him the ball and then when I come home at night he gets and hour walk (4 miles). My dog is a big priority to me and I give you credit Julie, I don't know how you do it with all those dogs!!

Well shan... whoops, Red... alot of multiple dog owning is just taking more than one dog on that hour walk, to the swimming hole, etc, but, some of it must be one on one time. I wouldn't be able to train Spirit at first to do her long sits and downs with everyone else tearing about. But, sometimes it's nice to have all the distractions you need for training!! LOL! Like you I have a breed of dog that needs ample daily exercise. They also need to learn how to get along. At this point they have been divided into two groups. One group goes outside at a time, or for a walk with me. It's made some of my life more difficult, but it was initiated to make another part easier (we have alot of strong personalities in our pack). I'm learning pack management, which when done right, can alleviate many multiple dog family problems. Plus, I started out with Alley and Topper. Two great dogs that would never think of doing anything wrong. They have been great mentors to my puppies and really helped me a great deal in raising everyone else. If I had two crazy dogs then, I would now have 6 crazy dogs!

Oh, and P.S. Actually, wehkah was on the phone with me about an hour before I posted this talking with me about a specific dog that I am thinking of adding to my pack. Her knowing more of the specific details of this particular dog I think biases her decision... I am very open to your thoughts. Yes, you know me... but you don't know the specific situation I was presented with yesterday, if that makes sense. I really want to know what people feel is too many. And... remember, I do not have any children. My dogs are my children, and I suspect you devote a great deal of your life to your child as well.

 

[Shalva]

I think it also depends on where the dogs are int he stages of life..... I have five now adding two..... this summer if both my litters take and produce nice show pups.... and for us we have Meghan and Cuinn and Connor who are pretty much retired Meghan and Connor being almost 7 and Cuinn who has epilepsy and is drugged..... so while we still train and work the dogs.... and we are working on Megs CDX, the intensity is not there and they are more happy to hang out play in the yard chase bumpers etc..... wtih the younger dogs Kaelyn and Shalva it is go go go but it is just the two of them at that stage..... so easy to spend the time we need to .... everyone is still trained every day but we don't worry about the older dogs with the intensity of the younger ones if that makes sense.... of course they arent ignored..... and we do work with them but it is not the same.....

Adding puppies will put us back int othe nuttiness for a while with babies and two young adults who need work to accomplish what we wnat them to....
S

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

Hi, Shalva.

You might remember me as N2.

Good to "see" you.

 

[Shalva]

Heyyyyyyy how are ya.... its been years and years..... how are you doing????
s

 

[doberkim]

I think at some point you need to think about what is feasible and for each person that is different.

However - you have 6 dogs, and three of them minimally, are not mature by any means (in my breed, I would venture to say NONE were actually mature). Are you prepared in the future if they mature and do not get along, or a new dog comes that ruins the pack dynamics, to separate your household to accomodate them? While you currently have only one male (which makes things easier) that doesn't exclude a bitch fight if it ever occurred.

While money isn't a problem now, with so many dogs the same age, are you prepared in 7-10 years to have 6 senior dogs in the household that will require a potentially greatly i increased medical budget - surgeries, emergencies, conditions, etc? My seniors ran through thousands at a time (one dog spent over 3K in one evening), my current senior foster is costing an arm and a leg for me and we haven't gotten near to diagnosing or treating him (and the rescue is **** lucky I am handing all his medical bills!).

Are you able to take in a dog now, and then when you have litters on the ground in a year or two, not keep any of the puppies, or do you plan on adding to the household then as well?

No one can say what is and isn't right for another person. For me, I personally would not keep 6 dogs so close in age in MY household - I prefer to have one or two actively showing/training dogs, and the rest are retired pets, which is why I enjoy senior dogs. In my breed, while they may enjoy each other, above all I still remain the one they focus on, and I couldn't give enough attention individually to 6+ dogs to make me feel comfortable that they were all getting enough from me. I also would never want to have so many dogs so close in age to each other for a variety of reasons - I enjoy each life stage individually, but there is no way I would want so many young immature dogs in my household. One 18 month old doberman is enough for me, and more than most people would ever dream of dealing with. In addition, even with my "pet animals" only - that hasn't changed their status, and they get just as much from me - they still went to training, they still got to get involved in things, the only things they were actively excluded from was the mutt was not taken to AKC shows (though my other purebred pets were), and they didnt go to the other dogs training classes.

So it depends on a lot of things - the breed and what it needs and can offer (I wouldn't ever want to live in a household with 3 dobes at or under a year old, not of the drive and temperament I want and desire), the age and lifestage of each dog (Retired v. active showing), and what you want to do.

 

[tessa_s212]

I have 9 dogs in my household right now. All of our dogs are going to soon be 8 years + in age, except for our Springer. Of the seven cockers, four are retired because of health issues. One is deaf, one is half blind with arthritis, one is entirely blind, and the other has arthritis. Despite that my family is so heavily involved in training and competing, we could never even dare think about giving away our pets. Because the dog that is now fully blind was my brother's only agility dog, my mom highly considered getting him another dog, but I talked her out of it. With nine dogs, and four that need extra care and attention in their old age, getting a new dog would not be appropriate right now. (But, things worked out in the end. My trainers got in a new rescue dog that they want to keep, and they are giving it to my brother to train. So, it will live with my trainers, but my brother will have a dog to train again in agility. I think its an ACD.)

Honestly, I think if you have the time to train and spend quality time with each individual dog, than you don't have too many. It is only when you begin collecting so many dogs that training and the dog's "Pet first" status begins to not be important to you that I feel you have too many dogs.

 

[stevinski]

Topper ~ CH Silhouette's Solid Gold CD RN CGC NSD NRD V TDI (1/3 RA, 1/4 JH) ~ 3 years old

thats quite a few titles!, i really like that you do hunting with your dogs, along with agility, tracking, conformation, etc,
IMO the best breeders are the ones who can have their dogs titles in conformation and what they were originally bred for (hunting)
you look like a really good and devoted breeder/trainer,

 

[oc_spirit]

I'm with the majority in that if you have the time and money for it, get that other dog! Its all about knowing your own limits. Also life stages are a biggy. At the kennel there are rouhly 20 Sibes but they range in age from 1.5years to the oldest being 12-13 years old. I noticed your pack is all fairly young if you keep adding now soon you will end up with 7 old dogs who can do some stuff but not the way they could as youngsters which could put your program on hold as you wait for space to open up before you can add a puppy again. Unless you place the older ones but i find that to be unfair to the dog. If they give you their all for 8 years of their life or however long they gp until retirement, they deserve it for you to keep them and give them their golden years sitting next to you by the fire. Its good to have the stages spread out so you are almos rotating throughout the life stages. As an older dog passes on a young dog or puppy comes in.

 

[showpug]

I was just in a similar situation recently. Had 4 dogs with plans on breeding my bitch this year and of course keeping a puppy which would put me at my limit of 5. Then my friend offers me a pup for free from a phenomenal breeding that I couldn't pass up. I have had the pup home for 2 weeks with no regrets. I am having a blast and thrilled that I took him...

If you can afford it and have the time and the space then I say go for it!

 

[Bahamutt99]

Four. Four is too many. Unless one of them is a rowdy Lab mix, and then 2 is too many. But of course, if they're all well-trained Pit Bulls, then maybe 12 is too many. But if its a dog that sheds tumbleweeds, then 1 is too many. And if its a barking breed, then 3 is too many because two of them will bark at the third when you put a sweater on her. LOL!

There is no set number. Its how many you feel comfortable accomodating. I would be perfectly happy to let the rest of my life go to the dogs.

 

[Novel_Weims]

Thank you everyone for your honest opinions. It is a breath of fresh air.
I agree with you when I look at my pack makeup and the ages. This has always concerned me. But, I could not see a way to avoid it as I started, but hope to even things out a bit as we move along.

Some specifics: I have been offered a very nice 22 month old bitch of my preferred breed. She is of a very good lineage and has already her conformation championship. The family that she was placed with has had mounting health problems over the last almost two years and they've finally decided that it will never get any better and they have decided to "return" her to her breeder, however she will be staying with her family until she is placed. Her breeder and I were just speaking about her this last weekend, and at that time we thought they had worked out the problems, but the call Monday AM said differently. The family that has this girl had always expressed interest in using my stud with her when she was of age. I had looked forward to a puppy from that mating. Now it seems I have the opportunity to add her to my pack directly. I know her and I know her temperament. She has been raised in excellent conditions. I just don't know if I want to add yet another girl at that age, at this time, and under these circumstances.
My breeding program requires a versatile (V) rating on a dog before it is breedable. This would not be impossible with this girl, as quite alot of the work has been done before.
Additional thoughts with this information????



P.S. Steve, thank you for the compliment on my boy. We never even started showing him until he was 18 months, and we didn't try anything else until after he was 2, so he truly is an exceptional boy. I agree with you completely that there must be a balance between conformation, working ability and obedience, and I strive for that in my dogs.

 

[krisykris]

I have 3 pups under a year. I stay home all day right now, but I don't plan to add any more to my family for a few years at least. I'd like to do some fostering sometime in the future though.

I'd say go for whatever you can emotionally and financially handle.

 

[Jynx]

I to think it depends on your time and money, it's one's personal choice.

I have 4 dogs right now, 2 are seniors, one not in great health, the other still very active, the 2 youngsters are 6 & 5..The 5 yr old is basically my husbands dog and I don't compete with him..The 6 yr old is my competition dog (when she feels like it ) but my dogs ARE getting older!

I have always had 4 dogs, when one passed away, it honestly felt empty around here, tho at that time I had 3 very young very very active dogs that I was doing "something" with,,Even those these 4 all require alot of my time, exercise/classes/ whatever,,(and did I mention expensive too?) I still long for another to "work"..

I have put myself on a self imposed limit of 4. but I'd have a housefull if I felt I could devote more time to them )
Diane

 

[mrsgrubby]

Go for it!!!!! LOL ...I think she belongs to you, especially since she reminds you so much of Jazz and her daddy is Streak!!!! What's one more now that you have broken them down into two packs anyways. Plus that will make your Idaho decision easier I think!!!!

 

[Novel_Weims]

Darn you.. see you are biased too!

True, adding her to Topper's pack would make 3 and 4, two very manageable groups. I'm going to give it a full night of sleep, hopefully that will be tonight, my 5 hour nap today just didn't cut it. I could work 16 tomorrow, but, that would make me really difficult to get to Oshkosh on time on Sat for the show.